


Workaholic

by Full_Moon_Lover



Series: 25 Days of Christmas 2017 [14]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Babysitting, Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 21:46:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13016808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Full_Moon_Lover/pseuds/Full_Moon_Lover
Summary: Dan and Phil can't stand each other but Phil's son loves Dan and Dan is actually a very good babysitter. Phil can't afford to lose him, no matter how much he hates him.





	Workaholic

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually one of my favourite fics so far so I really hope you enjoy it!

Phil wasn't sure what he had ever done to deserve such a fate. He couldn't understand why his son idolised Dan Howell and he couldn't stand him. 

It put him in a very precarious situation where he had to be careful over what to say to Dan. Anything too offensive or insulting could have him packing his bags and then his son would end up hating him. That's the last thing Phil wanted.

“I just put Alex to bed but we both know he won't sleep until you go tuck him into bed yourself,” Dan said, walking into his office without knocking. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. 

Phil got up and walked to his son’s bedroom but not before giving Dan a dirty look. “Would it kill you to knock before walking into my office?” 

Dan ignored him and followed him to Alex’s bedroom. “Alex, your dad is here to tuck you in properly,” he said and smiled when he saw the look of joy on the child's face. 

“Daddy!” Alex screamed, throwing his arms up for a hug. “I didn't know you got back from your work trip. Dan and I had lots and lots of fun today. We went to see the animals, and a man gave me a carrot to feed the horses. Their mouths felt funny daddy.” 

Phil grinned, his son’s excitement was contagious. Seeing Alex smile like that was the reason he kept Dan around, regardless of his personal feelings towards the man. Dan connected with his son in a way none of the previous babysitters managed and Phil was grateful. It was such a relief for him to see Alex happy when he left for business trips rather than tearful and throwing tantrums.

“ I wanted to surprise you,” Phil said, leaning down to hug his son and sitting down next to his bed. “ I'm glad you had so much fun with Dan today. Did you like the horses?”

“The horses were really cool,” Alex gushed, waving his arms around to show his excitement. “Then after the horses Dan took me to get an ice-cream and let me get two scoops, didn't you Dan?”

Dan smiled at him fondly and nodded. “I sure did. You deserved it for being so brave and feeding the horses. Next time we'll go to the zoo instead and visit a lot of different animals.”

Alex’s answering beam made everything worth it for him. “ I'll go wash the dishes we used for dinner. I'll leave you to tell your dad about everything we did today.” 

Dan locked out of Alex’s bedroom but didn't close the door all the way. Instead of going to the kitchen like he said, Dan stuck around and peeked through the gap in the door. 

“I'm glad you had so much fun with Dan today buddy,” Phil was saying, tucking the bedsheets around his son. “I know how much you like to spend time with him.” 

Dan couldn't hold back a small smile. Phil was a completely different person when he was around Alex. With Alex he was sweet, loving and playful. When he was with Dan he turned into an arrogant bastard he loved to hate. 

Dan moved away from the door and made his way to the kitchen before Phil could realise he was still there. He was in the middle of washing the dishes when Phil walked in. “You know you don't have to do that. Your job is babysitting Alex not washing the dishes.”

Dan shrugged. “I don't mind. There weren’t too many dirty dishes and I don't like leaving a mess behind me,” he said. He noticed Phil standing awkwardly near the door and rolled his eyes. “Did you need something?” 

Phil stiffened at seeing Dan rolling his eyes but didn't comment on it. He needed a favour from him and getting in his bad books would not help him out. “I need you to look after Alex tomorrow.”

Dan dropped the dish in his hand and turned around to glare at him. “What do you mean you need me to watch him tomorrow? You gave me the day off and I remember you telling Alex you would spend the whole day with him tomorrow to make up for the business trip you just got back from.”

“An important meeting came up for tomorrow. It’s only for a day but I couldn't get out of it. I'm sure Alex won’t mind that much, he loves spending time with you,” Phil said, failing to contain his bitterness. 

“Of course he’s going to mind!” Dan snapped, throwing the dish towel on the table in anger. “This is the third time this month. You're always promising Alex you'll be spending the day with him only to cancel when a meeting or business trip comes up. No wonder he feels like you care about your job more than you care about him.” 

Phil was about to retaliate when Dan’s words registered. “Wait,” he said, looking at Dan in horror. “What do you mean he thinks I care about my job more than him? I swear to God Howell if you're making this up to get to me, I’ll -” 

“I'm not making anything up,” Dan interjected before Phil could threaten him. “Alex had trouble sleeping these past three nights. He kept waking up in the middle of the night and coming to my room saying he is scared of sleeping on his own. Yesterday I slept next to him in the hopes he wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night. It didn't work, and he woke up sobbing and rambling about how you love your job more than him. He thinks he did something wrong.” 

Phil tried to swallow but felt a lump in his throat. He knew that he was not around very much and his son missed him but he didn’t realise it got to where his son thought he didn't love him. Phil though Dan’s presence would be enough, but he was wrong. 

Phil almost phoned his secretary right away to ask her to cancel the meeting, but he knew his company would suffer if he did that. “It's too late to cancel now,” he said, walking out to get away from Dan’s disappointed look. “I'll make it up to him.”

“You always say that.”

*

The morning after was hard on Phil. He had to pretend he didn't see Alex’s lip wobbling when he told him he had to go to work and that he didn't hear him crying in Dan’s arms when he closed the door behind him.

Phil wasn’t heartless. Alex was the most important person in his life and it broke his heart knowing he was the one causing his son pain. But he couldn't give up his job. It didn't mean Phil loved his job more than his son but he knew that sometimes sacrifices needed to be made. Alex would understand once he was a little older. 

At least that’s what Phil told himself on his way to work as an attempt at easing his guilty conscience. He tried convincing himself Alex would stop crying and get over his disappointment once Dan took him out for a day of fun. 

“Dan has everything under control,” Phil said to himself, ignoring the irony of putting everything in the hands of the person he was supposed to hate.

*

Barely an hour into the meeting, Phil realised it wasn't going to work. He kept thinking about Alex and whether Dan got him to calm down. As a result, he hadn't listened to a word that was said. What was the point of disappointing his son once again if he wasn't even going to take part in the meeting? 

“I’m sorry, I can't do this,” he announced, standing up. He walked out of the meeting room without a backward glance, uncaring of the repercussions.

Dan’s words the night before really struck a chord. He didn't want his son to grow up thinking his dad loves his job more than him. Phil kept saying Alex was the most important person in his life, but what good was that if he never showed it?

“Lisa, I want you to cancel all my plans for this week; I'm taking the week off,” he said and walked out of his office before his secretary even had the chance to question him.

Phil was going to spend time with his son, and no one was going to stop him. 

* 

Phil got home just as Dan and Alex were about to leave for the park.

“Daddy!” Alex yelled, running up to his dad and throwing himself at him. “I thought you said you have an important meeting.”

“Turns out it wasn't that important,” he explained, ignoring the smug smile Dan was directing at him. “Do you mind if I join you at the park? It's been a while since I've been there.” 

Alex looked as if Christmas had come early this year. It only made Phil feel guiltier for having ignored his son for such a long time. Alex shouldn't be looking so excited over getting to go to the park with his dad. 

He was just about to tell Dan that he was no longer needed and he could take his day off when Alex grabbed his babysitter’s hand and dragged him over to Phil. “Come on Dan, we can teach my dad how to play Catch. The last time my dad and I played Catch together he lost, so he's not great but maybe he can beat you today.”

Phil didn't have to heart to tell Dan to leave when he saw how excited his son looked at the prospect of them playing Catch together. 

Dan seemed to be on the same wavelength because he smiled and agreed with Alex rather than announce he was leaving. Phil would just have to deal with his presence. 

“Come on then, let’s go to the park.” 

*

Hanging out with Dan was weird. Phil found himself not knowing what to say. On one hand, he didn't want it to be awkward for Alex’s sake. But he had spent so much time hating Dan and everything he stood for that now it felt weird having to act civilly for more than a few minutes. 

It seemed Dan was finding it just as strange, judging by the weird looks he was giving Phil when he thought he wasn't looking. 

Seeing the way Dan behaved with Alex, Phil felt his hatred towards the man fade away. How could he hate someone who spent so much time making sure his son felt loved while he was away? 

If it wasn't for Dan, Alex would not be the happy boy he was seeing right now and their relationship could have been too damaged to fix if Dan wasn't around to keep Alex company. 

The longer he spent with Alex in Dan’s company, the more Phil realised the reason he hated Dan so much. It was jealousy. Seeing the close relationship Dan shared with the son, Phil couldn't help but feel jealous even though he knew he only had himself to blame for the closeness he lacked with his son. 

Phil fooled himself into thinking he hated Dan for mundane reasons such as him not putting back Alex’s toys in their original place. After all the failed babysitters who wanted nothing to do with Alex, Phil should have been grateful that Dan stuck around through all of Alex's tantrums in the beginning. 

Phil also knew that he owed Dan a thank you for what he said previously. Phil thought his words to be hard and unnecessary. He didn't think it was the babysitter’s place to tell him that he wasn't spending enough time with his son. 

Now he knew that if Dan hadn't spoken like that, he would not be spending the day with them at the park. Instead, he would be at the meeting, bored out of his mind.

Phil waited until Alex was busy going down the slide to talk to Dan. “Thank you,” he said, surprised to find he really meant it.

Dan looked just as shocked as he felt. “You’re thanking me without being sarcastic? That’s a first.” 

Phil did not raise to the bait. He knew Dan was just trying to get a reaction out of him and Phil didn't want to do that. What he really wanted to do was explain himself. “Actually, I am. I know I haven't given you the best impression of myself,” he said, ignoring the incredulous look Dan was aiming at him. “I’m aware I work a lot. That is something that will have to change. I can't keep putting my job before Alex and you made me realise that.” 

“I always knew you love your son, in your own way. I just thought you had a funny way of showing it. It was difficult for me to understand how you could leave your son with a babysitter day after day while you went to work or on business trips that took weeks,” Dan explained with a shrug.

Now that they were talking in a civil manner, Phil could understand Dan’s point of view and why he would think like that. To the outside eye, he looked like someone who couldn't care less about his son. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Phil just hoped Dan could see that now.

“I the rest of the week off. My secretary knows not to contact me this week unless it's an emergency. I plan on spending all my time with Alex and I was hoping you would join us,” Phil said, having to hide a smirk when he saw the surprise on Dan’s face. 

“You want me to hang around while you're spending time with Alex?” 

Phil nodded. “You’re important to Alex, whether I like it or not. For the past few months, he’s every waking moment with you because I wasn't around. If you suddenly disappear for a week Alex will get upset and those are not my intentions. I know I promised you a day off, but I was hoping we could reschedule?”

Dan nodded, but he was still looking at Phil in suspicion. “Fine, I’ll spend the week with you. Let’s make one thing clear though,” he said, pointing at Phil. “I’m not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Alex, because I don't want him to think I've abandoned him. Are we clear?” 

“Crystal.” 

*

1 year later….

“Dan!” Alex shouted, running down the stairs. “Daddy’s back!” 

“No running down the stairs,” Dan called back, although he knew it would fall on deaf ears. 

Dan was just as excited as Alex for Phil’s return. Phil had been gone for two weeks, on a business trip which would take his company to the next level. It was the longest business trip he had gone on ever since his conversation with Dan in the park. 

He still had numerous meetings he needed to attend to but he no longer works the long hours he used to before. In the time he was away, Dan was more than happy to take care of Alex. Dan was just glad that Alex got his dad back. 

Phil opened the door to find Alex and Dan waiting to greet him. 

Alex got to him first, and he dived into his father’s arms, a grin lighting up his face. “I missed you so much Dad!” 

“I missed you too, buddy. Did you have a nice time with Dan?” 

“It was great! We went to the aquarium, the zoo and the playground…”

Phil wanted to hear all about the adventures his son got up to while he was gone, but first he wanted to greet his boyfriend properly. He waited for Alex to finish his current story and then spoke up before he could recount something else. “Hey Alex, how about you go wash your hands so we can have dinner and then I’ll give you the presents I bought you?” 

“Presents!” Alex said, running out before Phil could say much else. 

Phil pulled Dan in close for a kiss and smiled when his boyfriend’s arms wrapped around his neck. “Missed me?”

“You know I did,” Dan said, rolling his eyes. “As annoying as you can be, you are good company.”

Sometimes it still amused Phil to think of how they went from hating each other to dating in less than a year. After Phil cut down on work and spent more time at home, they bonded over their love for Alex. They took a long time to realise Alex was not what kept them coming back to each other, but they got there eventually. 

“If I ever need to leave for so long again, I’m taking you both with me. I can’t stay without my boys for so long.” 

Dan didn’t disagree. He pulled Phil in for another kiss that took his breath away before breaking it off to whisper in his ear, “I love you.” 

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think? 
> 
> Little health update for whoever cares:I went to the doctor today and he gave me antibiotics so my brain felt a little less mushy and I was able to write this. However, I had to miss my theory driving test which was not cool. 
> 
> A tumblr update: I reached 1,000 followers on Tumblr today which is mindblowing! If there's anyone who read yesterday's story on here and went to follow, THANK YOU!! 
> 
> (11 days to go till the end of the 25 Days of Christmas!)


End file.
